Dedham Schools – Dedham, MA
In Dedham, monthly school safety meetings with school, police, and fire officials make sure everyone is on the same page should an emergency occur, according to school superintendent Michael Welch. Welch said in addition to going over the task force report and recommendations, the safety meetings will look again at the ALICE protocols, new recommendations for emergencies. ALICE stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate,” and was developed by a Dallas/Fort Worth police officer after the Columbine attacks in 1999 who wanted his wife to have a better plan in case of an active shooter event. Welch said he has been to a number of different conferences regarding the ALICE protocols. Some recommendations are a radical change such as going from a shelter in place mentality to giving better information at the point of disruption so people can evacuate. Read more
